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Prosecutors and defense attorneys are set to hold a ball on Wednesday in the fraud trial against capricious South African billionaire Elon Musk, which began in San Francisco the day before.
A nine-person juror appointed Tuesday will have to decide whether a tweet written by Tesla’s boss in 2018 was a fraud accused by investors.
The incident dates back to August 2018, when Elon Musk tweeted that he wanted Tesla out of the stock market because he had the necessary funds. His message caused stock prices to fluctuate sharply for several days.
“Plaintiffs allege that these tweets were untrue and artificially influenced Tesla’s stock price and other securities,” Judge Edward Chen said of potential jurors. Summarized for
On Friday, a magistrate refused to disrupt a trial in Texas, the American state where billionaires moved Tesla’s headquarters, allowing the California city to form an impartial jury. bottom.
The defense said it acquired Twitter in San Francisco in late October and said its clients would benefit from a fair trial in San Francisco that was widely criticized for his decisions, which ranged from the platform’s content moderation policies to mass layoffs. argued that it was not possible.
“In recent months, local media have saturated the district with biased and negative stories about Mr. Musk,” the attorneys said in the motion.
“The local press, contrary to normal reporting methods (social planning), personally accused Mr. Musk of layoffs and even accused him of breaking the law. Local elected officials, including the mayor of San Francisco, An official joined the protest against him,” they continued.
In addition to Elon Musk, Tesla is also involved in the process, both as a legal entity and as a member of the manufacturer’s board of directors at key points.
On Tuesday, the court considered dozens of potential juror responses to a questionnaire that included Elon Musk’s opinion. “You say: He’s too bad (…) What do you mean?” For example, a judge asked a woman.
“You called Mr. Musk arrogant, unpredictable and sometimes irrational. Could you please explain if this opinion is based on what happened on Twitter?” he said to another person. asked.
“Talented but banned,” wrote another citizen, so that he could be “neutral” if he was selected for a jury. A potential juror conceded to him that he probably wouldn’t be fair.
Other polls described the controversial boss as an “up-and-coming businessman” and a “successful pioneer.”
Elon Musk’s attorney, Alex Spiro, has urged future jurors to remain “open minded” even if they are to hear the prosecution’s account first. He insisted there was no need to mention “recent events in
The trial is expected to last three weeks. Elon Musk is on the witness list.
In an earlier decision related to the case, a judge ruled that the infamous tweet of 2018 could be deemed “false and misleading.”
A brief message from Tesla’s boss has already caused him a lot of controversy with authorities.The SEC, the American stock market police, also did not provide proof of his financing, at the time Elon Musk did. I believed it and filed a complaint.
Regulators then turned him over as chairman of Tesla’s board of directors, forced him to pay a $20 million fine, and then required pre-approval by lawyers for his tweets directly related to Tesla’s activities. efficient.
Elon Musk tried in the spring to overrule this decision, to no avail.
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